Remember the Bahco 8032 chisels?

[Lemwise]

One of the great features was that they lay completely flat. Sadly they were discontinued a long time ago but then I saw the new HDC chisels from Hultafors which also lie completely flat. I've ordered the 32 and 40mm versions.

 

[Frank-Jan]

I had never heard of these chisels, thanks for sharing!

 

[Maximus]

Out of interest, what applications do you find the flatness useful for?

If you're paring (plugs that cover screw heads for example) I can highly recommend cranked chisels, as these make life even easier, and reduce the chance of bruising the work piece when you strike the chisel.  They also make it easier to achieve a totally flat cut.

And at this point I'll give a shout out for some old established companies that still make amazing chisels, the proper way - hand forged from Sheffield steel, not mass produced by a robot from junk metal.  I own examples from these companies and they're beautiful heirloom quality tools that hold an amazing edge.  We need to actively support companies like this or they'll be lost forever, drowned by cheap far east disposable tat  [sad]

Here are the links:
http://www.crownhandtools.ltd.uk/index.html
http://www.henrytaylortools.co.uk

also excellent arehttp://www.robert-sorby.co.uk

8)  8)  8)

 

[McNally Family]

Thank you for the links.....

 

[Lemwise]

Today I received the chisels and the quality is good, certainly well above that of lets say a Stanley Fatmax chisel. The chisels are fairly heavy but that's a result of the tang going all the way through the handle. The backs on both chisels have a slight hollow in the middle but it doesn't extend to the edges (like a Japanese chisel but the hollow is a bit smaller). That's exactly the way I like it because it speeds up sharpening and I'll only be using them for flushing operations anyway. As for the steel, there's no documentation on what it used. Going by how it sharpens and the edge it takes I'd say it's a high carbon steel around 60HRC.

 

[Lemwise]

Just a quick update on the chisel. First of all I was completely wrong about the steel. It's actually chrome vanadium hardened to 58-59HRC. It's sharpens easily but it also dulls very quickly. These chisels are really only good for rough work when a dull or sharp edge doesn't make a difference. Like when a piece of wood is in the way and I have to remove it fast. I will say these chisels can take a heavy beating.